Our Wednesday night bible class usually follows a format of the reading of a book verse by verse, and having discussions on the meaning of those scriptures, and of other scriptures they may have relevence to. We recently finished Ecclesiastes and last night began a study of the next book in the sequence, the Song of Solomon.

First, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be provocative by starting a thread on this book. I know that many of the subjects in this book are graphic and/or explicit in nature (or at least appear to be). In fact, it's for this reason I have largely ignored this book in the past, or when I have read it, felt I was reading some kind of romance novel.

Our teacher began by talking about his own study, and stating that he had learned something that changed his view of SOS. The main change for him was the idea that the book is not about two people, a young man and a young woman in love, but about three people, a young man, a young woman, and Solomon himself, who is actually trying to woo the young woman to be his, but that she ultimately chooses the young man.

I read SOS this morning, and I think I see some evidence to support this view. Has anyone else here heard anything like this before concerning this book?

I should also mention that the SOS is often used as a parallel to the relationship between Christ and his church (or his bride, as it is referred to in Revelations). Just so you know, this is not trying to refute that view and that it can still be used for that purpose, only to discuss directly what Solomon may have been writing about and what that book can actually tell us.

Abiding

Jan 24th 2011, 02:12 PM

Our Wednesday night bible class usually follows a format of the reading of a book verse by verse, and having discussions on the meaning of those scriptures, and of other scriptures they may have relevence to. We recently finished Ecclesiastes and last night began a study of the next book in the sequence, the Song of Solomon.

First, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be provocative by starting a thread on this book. I know that many of the subjects in this book are graphic and/or explicit in nature (or at least appear to be). In fact, it's for this reason I have largely ignored this book in the past, or when I have read it, felt I was reading some kind of romance novel.

Our teacher began by talking about his own study, and stating that he had learned something that changed his view of SOS. The main change for him was the idea that the book is not about two people, a young man and a young woman in love, but about three people, a young man, a young woman, and Solomon himself, who is actually trying to woo the young woman to be his, but that she ultimately chooses the young man.

I read SOS this morning, and I think I see some evidence to support this view. Has anyone else here heard anything like this before concerning this book?

I should also mention that the SOS is often used as a parallel to the relationship between Christ and his church (or his bride, as it is referred to in Revelations). Just so you know, this is not trying to refute that view and that it can still be used for that purpose, only to discuss directly what Solomon may have been writing about and what that book can actually tell us.
A parallel to the relationship between Christ and his church. This is my understanding of it.

Diggindeeper

Jan 31st 2011, 04:53 AM

This is my understanding also. That it is a parallel for Christ and the church.

alegator21

Feb 15th 2011, 07:43 PM

I've never heard of that before. As I understand it too it is a parallel between Christ and the church.

txchvs

Sep 4th 2011, 06:42 AM

This is an old thread but a familiar topic for me, perhaps I can spark some interest in this sweet little love song. I think the book (actually a song) is just what it appears to be, a love song Solomon wrote about two young people in his court. The bride was from the Sharon Valley, just west of Jerusalem and visible from the Mount of Olives. The opening scene is at the palace where they are sitting at the king's table which leads me to believe that the groom might have been one of Solomon's sons. The next day he comes to see her some time before dawn and he speaks to her through the lattice of her mother's garden where she is having breakfast with her brothers.

As you may have guessed by now I have a rather unusual take on the narrative beneath the figurative language. Not to push it too far I will go out on a limb a little and come right out and tell you, this book has very little, if anything, to do with sex.

I'm just going to leave it at that and see what, if any, kind of a response I get.